Courts more composed to deal decisively with election disputes - CJ

Mrs Justice Georgina T. Wood, Chief Justice, has reassured that the courts were more composed to deal decisively with election-related disputes that would emanate from the upcoming December general elections.

This, she said, had stemmed from upgrading the capacities of judges through effective skills-based judicial training and the review of the “Manual on Election Adjudication in Ghana,” first published in 2008.

Mrs Justice Wood made these remarks when copies of the Manual were distributed to agencies that promote good governance, rule of law and democratization during the inauguration of the Kpando Circuit and District Courts.

She said the new edition was an improvement over the maiden one and most useful and informative document for adjudicating election disputes.

The Chief Justice indicated the manual embodies the legal requirements related to the resolution of election disputes, statutes applicable to the conduct of elections, a digest of some latest decisions in the courts of appeal, supreme, high, circuit and district courts of adjudicature.

Mrs Justice Wood advised that the path to resolving election disputes did not lie in armed conflict but through peaceful means of either out-of-court settlements or use of the tried and time tested national courts.

She assured the people of Kpando and the entirety of the country of the judiciary’s preparedness and commitment to a fair, impartial, just and speedy resolution of election disputes.

Mrs Justice Wood said the focus of the world after the United States election was on Ghana, a country considered as beacon of hope for the rest of Africa.

“We should be proud of this recognition and build on it. We cannot afford to disappoint our many admirers and people of goodwill,” the Chief Justice says.